


The Life in my Hands

by mescalinen



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Down Character, Aged-Down Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Children, Animal Abuse, Children, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 10:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16871482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mescalinen/pseuds/mescalinen
Summary: Tord, Edd and Tom find a puppy. What do they do with it?





	The Life in my Hands

    Tom, Edd and Tord met rarely: during holidays. But even so, they still met each other — by the lake. Yesterday, during the last class, Tom had called Edd and Tord to the lake, and Matt had wanted to tag along, but the three were afraid he’d scare away the thing they were looking for.

    Tom had been walking before the rest of the two boys, head proudly raised as he had been telling the fascinated Edd about exotic, hot countries, about their giant seas, which he had never been to, and about elephants, which he had never seen. But he had been saying so with such expression, as if he had been and seen, that Edd’s eyes were widening with interest at each tale.

    Tord had been very angered at Tom for stealing the spotlight, hence why he had walked at the back. And he hadn’t even been walking where there were already treaded safe footsteps — god, no — he was walking at the very side, trudging straight over the reeds and bushes. Tord had broke and tore them with his boots purposefully, and being loud with it, too.

_Wait. . ._

_Could it be. . . ?_

    ‘I found it!’ Tord had yelled suddenly. 

    From the bushes, Tord had lifted a tiny smidge of fur, a puppy. It was skinny, abandoned, and someone had torn his little ear. From it’s face was dripping either water or tears, and with it’s tongue it was trying to reach Tord’s palm to smother it with licks.

    ‘What a lousy scrap of filth,’ Edd squealed, ‘it’s even scabby an’ all, that pup!’ Edd hid behind Tom.

    ‘Let’s drown it,’ Tord had said with enthusiasm. ‘What if the thing’s wild?’

    ‘How will you drown it?’ Edd had now returned from hiding behind Tom, ‘just throw it in the lake?’

   ‘Yea, maybe, but he might swim up. Here, Tom, hold it, I’ll find a rock to keep it underwater,’ Tord had said and shoved the squealing puppy to the now silent Tom.

    But Tom had gone pale, his words forgotten somewhere, and his hands suddenly hid in his pockets. So while Tord had started looking for a good rock, Tom was attempting at finding his words. Important words, hot words, — only they were not there.

    And there were no rocks left by then, just tiny pebbles, no matter how hard Tord had tried to look for them. 

    ‘I can’t find any!’ Tord had huffed.

    Tom had then silently sent a silent, thankful prayer, but to Tord he had said, ‘aw, pity,’ and that was when Tord had yelled cheerfully—

    ‘I don’t need no rocks, I’ll just get in the water and hold his head down under! It’ll swallow enough water to die!’

    And so Tord had ran closer to the lake banks.

    Tom’s throat had then tightened, and again he lost his words somewhere behind him. He had just ran towards Tord and grabbed the other boy’s arm. 

    ‘Let go!’ Tord had yelled at him, ‘I found what I needed, I’ll do what I want with it!’

    ‘He found it!’ Edd had established, ‘he’ll do what he wants with it! And let him drown it — interesting.’

    ‘Give me him,’ Tom had begged quietly, ‘give him to me. I’ll pay you anything for him!’

    Tord had paused and stopped, not going any deeper in the water. ‘Well, what do you have for it?’

    ‘Give me him,’ Tom had begun shaking, as if he were the one who had went into the cold water. ‘If you want. . . If you want, I’ll give you my compass for him, yeah? I’ll give it to you for good, just don’t drown the animal. I feel sorry for him.’

    ‘He feels sorry for it!’ Edd had began laughing.

    But Tord hadn’t laughed, he was thinking. He had stared into Tom’s pleading eyes as his thoughts raced from the puppy writhing in his grip, to his begging friend, to the new, heavy and trustworthy German-made compass Tom’s father had bought his son.

    ‘For good?’ Tord had asked.

    ‘I swear,’ Tom confirmed.

    Tord had been silent. He had been thinking. 

    ‘Why do you need his compass, anyway?’ Edd had asked Tord, ‘it’s cheap, costs not much. But do you know how much a puppy costs? You can’t even buy it, that much!’

    ‘It’s not because of the puppy,’ Tom had explained, his heart prickling. He didn’t want to give away his compass, but he didn’t want to let the puppy die, and there was something else, something Tom hadn’t fully understood. 

    ‘He’s right,’ Tord had said, ‘a compass isn’t enough for a puppy.’ He was raising and lowering his hand with the puppy, as if threatening to throw it. 

    ‘I don’t want him for good,’ Tom had sighed. ‘Let him live with you, if you want. I just don’t want you to drown him.’

    ‘Well, for that. . .’ Tord had frowned, huffed. ‘For that, a compass is enough. But he’s gonna live with me,’ Tord had then added proudly. 

    And so that is what they had decided on. Tord had began to take the puppy home, Edd had spat at Tom’s direction and ran off, and Tom had left to say his goodbyes to the compass.

    Tom had opened the compass in his hand, looking at the how the pretty red arrow spun, how she trembled and pointed towards the right direction.

**Author's Note:**

> i hate animals


End file.
